The 10th Day of the Month of November
The Commemoration of the Holy Apostles
Erastus, Olympus, Rodion, and Those With them
At Vespers
On “Lord, I have cried”, these stichera, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “O all-praised martyrs…”—
O ye sacred preachers who like winged eagles most splendidly soared aloft over the fullness of the world: Those who were pursued by the evil-doer ye did lead to the unadulterated Faith. Wherefore, pray ye that our souls be given peace and great mercy.
With sacred voices let us honor Tertius and Sosipater, Olympus and Rodion, and with them Erastus, the initiate of the mysteries, and the divine Quartus, who glorify Christ our God and beseech Him to grant our souls peace and great mercy.
Ye led the gentiles unto Christ God, O blessed one, delivered by the blood of Him Who was well pleased to be born on earth and Who willingly endured the Cross and death, O most wise ones. Him do ye now entreat, that He grant our souls peace and great mercy.
Glory…, Now & ever…: Theotokion—
O all-hymned Mistress, thou hope and confirmation, refuge and help of the faithful, thee do we beseech: from all misfortunes keep thy servants who worship thine Offspring with faith. Him do thou entreat, that He grant our souls peace and great mercy.
Stavrotheotokion—
The unblemished ewe-lamb and Mistress, beholding her Lamb upon the Cross bereft of form and beauty, lamenting, said: “Woe is me! Whither hath Thy beauty gone, O most Sweet One? Where is Thy splendor? Where is the splendid grace of Thine image, O my most beloved Son?”
Troparion, in Tone III—
O holy apostles, entreat the merciful God, that He grant unto our souls the remission of transgressions.
At Matins
Both canons from the Octoechos, and that of the holy apostles, with 4 troparia, the acrostic whereof is: “I earnestly hymn the divinely eloquent disciples,” the composition of Joseph the Hymnographer, in Tone I:
Ode I
Irmos: Thy victorious right arm hath in godly manner been glorified in strength; for as almighty, O Immortal One, it smote the adversary, fashioning anew the path of the deep for the Israelites.
In that ye are divine disciples of our God Who, in His loving-kindness, became incarnate, beseech Him to grant forgiveness of sins unto those who keep your memory, O blessed ones.
O blessed ones, ye have been shown to be splendid mirrors of God which reflect His benefactions upon all the faithful, graciously bestowing rays of salvation, O apostles, ye beholders of God.
Having drawn forth a wellspring of radiance, Erastus and Tertius, Olympus, Rodion and Sosipater, together with Quartus, have shone forth enlightenment upon all. Them do we piously bless.
Theotokion: O Virgin, by thy birthgiving thou hast renewed the human race, for thou gavest birth to the Word of the Father Who clothed Himself in mortal flesh and hath shown us the ways of immortality.
Ode III
Irmos: O Thou Who alone hast known the weakness of human nature, having in Thy mercy formed Thyself therein: Thou dost gird me about with power from on high, that I may chant to Thee: Holy is the living temple of Thine ineffable glory, O Thou Who lovest mankind!
Bearing the word as a noetic torch, O apostles, obedient to God ye traversed all of creation, dispelling the gloom thereof and through grace revealing as sons of light those who had been in thrall to the night of unbelief.
The saving proclamation of your words hath prophetically gone forth into all the world, and the radiant manifestation of your deeds hath gone all about the earth enlightening souls, O divinely eloquent apostles of the Lord.
Making His abode in your hearts, O wise ones, the most Holy Spirit made you great beholders of God; going everywhere about the world, ye destroyed the temples of idols by grace and raised up churches to God.
Theotokion: O Mary, Bride of God, knowing the only-begotten Word of the Father Who before was begotten without mother and was born of thee without father, we confess thee to be the Mother of God who gave birth without pain and remained Virgin inexplicably.
Kontakion, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Thou hast appeared…:—
Today hath dawned the honored festival of the apostles which manifestly bestoweth the remission of sins upon all who keep their memory.
Sessional hymn, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “Thy tomb, O Savior…”—
Together let us honor the memory of Erastus and Olympus, Sosipater and Tertius, Rodion and Quartus, chanting to them: O divine preachers and servants of the Word, by your prayers deliver us from eternal torments.
Glory…, Now & ever…: Theotokion—
O unwedded and pure Virgin Theotokos, thou sole intercessor and protection of the faithful: From misfortunes, tribulation and evil circumstances deliver all who put their trust in thee, and by thy divine prayers save thou our souls.
Stavrotheotokion—
The unblemished ewe-lamb, beholding the Lamb and Shepherd hanging dead upon the Tree, exclaimed, weeping and maternally crying out: “How shall I endure Thy condescension and voluntary passion which surpasseth understanding, O my Son, mine all-good God?”
Ode IV
Irmos: Habbakuk, gazing with the eyes of foresight upon thee, the mountain overshadowed by the grace of God, prophesied that the Holy One of Israel would come forth from thee, for our salvation and restoration.
Being of old the confirmation of those who waver, with your divinely bestowed teachings ye overthrew the manifold strongholds of the enemy and gave them over to desolation, O ye apostles of the Savior who beheld God.
O great preachers, divine apostles, ye have thoroughly preached the mighty works of Christ, and radiantly have ye greatly enlightened utterly degraded mortal men, acting through the mighty works of grace.
Let the divine Olympus be praised with hymnody, and with him let Rodion be piously magnified, for they completed the course of martyrdom with Peter, the proclaimer of God, in Rome, their heads being severed.
Theotokion: In thee, O all-immaculate one, was a newly-wrought wonder, greater than all wonders, manifestly shown forth; for in the flesh thou didst give birth unto God Who in unconfused union hath united Himself to the earthly in His loving-kindness, O Bride of God.
Ode V
Irmos: O Christ Who hast enlightened the ends of the world with the radiance of Thy coming and hast illumined them with Thy Cross: with the light of Thy divine knowledge enlighten the hearts of those who hymn Thee in Orthodox manner.
The Wisdom of the Father, Who brought everything into being, sent you into the world as teachers, O glorious ones who make all wise in the wisdom of the Spirit and by the revelation of truth.
Casting the hook of the Word, O most wise ones, by grace ye drew mute fish from the deep of ignorance and brought them, believing, unto the Lord.
Let us praise Olympus, and the great Rodion, and Tertius, and Sosipater, together with Erastus and the divine Quartus: the preachers of Christ and defenders of all the pious.
Theotokion: O Theotokos, Bride of God, at the utterance of a word thou didst conceive the Word and, in manner surpassing comprehension and recounting, didst give birth unto Him as man. Wherefore, with divinely inspired words we ever bless thee.
Ode VI
Irmos: The uttermost abyss hath surrounded us, and there is none to deliver us. We are accounted as lambs for the slaughter. Save Thy people, O our God, for Thou art the strength and correction of the weak!
O all-honored ones, rolling like stones upon the earth ye did impel towards piety those who with wicked intent had worshipped stones, O most blessed and God-beholding initiates of the mysteries of the Word.
Preaching the unconfused and indivisible Unity in three Persons, ye uprooted the falsehood of polytheism from the earth, O ye true apostles of Christ, and did lead those who were cruelly deceived unto the light of divine knowledge.
O all-wise apostles, with beauteous knowledge ye did set at nought the foolishness of the foolish and made them steadfast in belief in the One God, the King of all, Who adorneth all creation with outpourings of divine light.
Theotokion: We glorify thee, O Mistress, who hast been shown to be another heaven yet more exalted than the first, and hast shone forth upon us the Sun of righteousness and hast dispelled the deep darkness of unbelief.
Kontakion, in Tone II: Spec. Mel.: “Seeking the highest…”—
Having illumined your minds with divine light, ye wisely destroyed the wiles of the orators; and having fished for all the pagans, O glorious apostles, ye brought them to the Master, teaching them to glorify the divine Trinity.
Ikos: As disciples of the Master of all, O ye who behold God, from the abyss of transgressions draw ye forth with the net of your prayers my lowly soul which hath been ensnared in the nets of the demons’ wiles; that, passing well through the remaining time of my life, I may hymn you with love and glorify your blameless life which ye brought to an end on earth, having enlightened those who were grievously benighted and taught them to glorify the divine Trinity.
Ode VII
Irmos: O Theotokos, we, the faithful, perceive thee to be a noetic furnace; for, as the supremely Exalted One saved the three youths, in thy womb the praised and most glorious God of our fathers wholly renewed the world.
In his epistle the Apostle Paul proclaimed thee to be a sacred chamberlain of the Church of Christ in Jerusalem, O Erastus. With them we honor thee, chanting unto Christ: O praised and most glorious God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Proved by the enduring of trials and tribulations and persecutions, and adorned with the wounds of Christ, O Erastus most rich in grace, thou didst cry aloud: O praised God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Thou wast shown to be a proclaimer of the new law, O Quartus, leading the estranged away from the old iniquity and bringing to renewal of life those who cry: O praised God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Theotokion: O Maiden, thou gavest flesh unto the consubstantial Word of the Father, Who hath appeared to those who are on earth in the body, and thou gavest birth unto Him as man, that the praised and most glorious God of our fathers might save man.
Ode VIII
Irmos: The children of Israel in the furnace, shining more brightly than gold in a crucible in the beauty of their piety, said: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord; hymn and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Shown to be indestructible pillars of the Church of Christ, ye destroyed all the ramparts of impiety, founding upon the Rock of faith, like stones, the faithful that cry: Hymn the Lord, all ye works, and exalt Him supremely forever!
Ye have been shown to be law-givers inscribing the law of the Spirit in the hearts of the faithful, O most blessed ones, and enlightened thereby they sing: Hymn the Lord, all ye works, and exalt Him supremely forever!
O blessed Olympus, having adorned thyself, thou didst meet thine end on the same day as the great Peter, manifestly dying by the sword with Rodion at the command of Nero, the iniquitous emperor.
Theotokion: O pure one, of old the jar which contained the manna prefigured thee; for thou didst bear in thy womb Christ, our Sweetness, and thou gavest birth in the flesh unto Him Who delivereth from all the bitterness of wicked transgressions those who exalt Him supremely forever.
Ode IX
Irmos: The bush which burnt with fire yet was not consumed showed forth an image of thy pure birthgiving. And now we pray that the furnace of temptations which rageth against us may be extinguished, that we may magnify thee unceasingly, O Theotokos.
Having equally completed the course and been equally enriched by the Word and Master, ye have been vouchsafed equal gifts of the Spirit and have received equal honors, O apostles of the Lord, enlighteners of our hearts.
Like the stars of Heaven ye have illumined all the earth with divine signs, dispelling the deep darkness of unbelief and showing forth as children of the day those who of old were enslaved by the wiles of the adversary.
Ye destroyed a legion of the evil-minded who of old escorted whole nations of men into the abyss; and ye led a multitude of the saved unto God, O most elect apostles of Christ who have joined the ranks of the incorporeal hosts.
Having passed on to those things that are above the world, the great Olympus and Sosipater, Tertius and Rodion, Quartus and the most sacred Erastus now entreat the Deliverer in behalf of the world.
Theotokion: Spare Thy people, O Lord, delivering us from barbarian assault, from sins, temptations, and eternal torments, through the prayers of the all-holy Virgin who gave Thee birth, and of Thy glorious apostles.
Exapostilarion: Spec. Mel.: “Heaven with stars…”—
In hymns do we all faithfully glorify the apostles, the radiant habitations of the Holy Spirit, the all-luminous rays of the unwaning Day, the brilliant flashes of lightning.
Theotokion—
Thee do all we sinners have as our helper, O all-holy Virgin. By thy maternal entreaties render thou thy Son well-disposed unto us.